Directions
Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken pieces in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in the bay leaf, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, cloves, and cinnamon until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar, and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, stir in the chocolate chips until melted, then return the chicken pieces to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and no longer pink at the bone, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the raisins, and cook 3 minutes longer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Note #1: A fixed bottom, 10 inch tube pan (with 10-cup capacity) is recommended, however I used a traditional bundt pan. The end result of the bundt pan is that the streusel will be on the bottom instead of the top. Viva la difference!

Note #2: The Streusel is divided into two parts — one for the inner swirls, one for the topping.

In a food processor, process flour, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar and cinnamon until combined, about 15 seconds. (SAVE the other 1/4 cup brown sugar for the next step)

For Streusel Filling: Transfer 1 1/4 cups of the flour/sugar mixture to a small bowl. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and set aside to use for streusel filling in the cake

For Streusel Topping:Add butter and pecans to the mixture in the food processor; pulse until nuts and butter resemble small pebbly pieces, about ten 1-second pulses. Set aside to use as a streusel topping.

FOR THE CAKE:

Adjust the oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch tube pan (I used a bundt pan) using 2 Tablespoons of the softened butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1 Cup sour cream (save the other 1/2 cup sour cream for the next step) and vanilla.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add butter and remaining 1/2 cup Sour Cream; mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture resembles wet sand, with few large butter pieces remaining, about 1 1/2 minutes. Increase to medium speed and beat until batter comes together, about 10 seconds; scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Lower speed to medium-low and gradually add egg mixture in 3 additions, beating for 20 seconds after each and scraping down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until batter is light and fluffy, about 1 minutes.

Bake until cake feels firm to touch and long toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean (bits of sugar from streusel may cling to tester.) 50 to 60 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 30 minutes. Invert cake into rimmed baking sheet (cake will be streusel-side down); remove tube pan, place wire rack on top of cake, and re-invert cake streusel-side up. [ Note: Because I made the cake in a bundt pan, the Streusel topping was on the bottom. Works for me ! ] Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve. (Cake can be wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

DirectionsIn a Dutch oven melt butter over medium-low heat then add vegetables and saute. Add ham and cook for about 5 minutes. Add water and bouillion. Cover to steam until vegetables are fork tender. Stir in flour, then slowly stir in both types of milk. Allow mixture to get hot, but don’t boil. Stir in cheese and let melt while soup thickens. Stir in salt, pepper and parsley. Serve warm. Serves 6.

In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, quinoa, cilantro or parsley, red onion, avocados and olive oil. Squeeze lemon halves and add juice to the bowl. Toss to combine, then season to taste with salt.

Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds, and place one on each cupcake, if desired.

Easy Penuche Frosting (from Diana Rattray at About.com)

A penuche frosting recipe, made with brown sugar, butter, and confectioners’ sugar.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup milk

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, more or less

hot water, optional

Preparation:

In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium low and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm. Gradually add sifted confectioners’ sugar. Beat until thick enough to spread. If too thick, add a little hot water. Frosts top and sides of a 2-layer cake or a 13×9-inch cake.

Directions
Preheat over to 400 degrees. (I used 380 degrees, because the first time I made it, it was overcooked.) Line butter and flour two 9 inch springform pans.

Combine the flour, cornstarch and baking powder into a bowl.

Cream the butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into the butter and sugar, saving the whites to whisk later. Gently fold in the measured-out dry ingredients, add the vanilla, then stir in the milk to think the batter. Divide the mixture between the two prepared springform pans.

Whisk the egg white until soft peaks form, then gradually add the remaining sugar. Spread a layer of meringue on top of the sponge batter in each pan and sprinkle the almonds evenly over.

Bake for 30-35 minutes (I baked for 23 minutes; the first time I made it, 25 minutes was too long.) The top of the almond-scattered meringues will be a dark gold. Let the cakes cool in their tins, then spring them open at the last minute when you are ready to assemble the cake.

In a mixer, add whipping cream and powdered sugar and whip. Hull and slice the strawberries; that’s to say, the bigger ones can be sliced lengthwise and the smaller ones halved. Invert one of the cooled cakes on to a plate or cake stand so that the cake crumb is uppermost. Pile on the cream and stud with the strawberries, letting some of the berries subside into the whipped whiteness. Place the second cake on top, meringue upwards, and press down gently, just to secure it.